# Winter and mud mess with cattle markets | Western Livestock Journal

> Winter storms and mud stalled fed cattle trade this week, with no cash trade reported as February live cattle traded near $127.10 after a correction. Packer margins fell to about $28 per head, the lowest in a long time, and packers were expected to cut slaughter. Feeders in Kansas were eager to move cattle before they lost more weight.

- Date: 2019-01-18 · published 2019-01-18T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: weather · region US · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/61231-winter-and-mud-mess-with-cattle-markets-western-livestock-journal
- Commodities: [Live Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/LCATTLE.md)

## Why it matters

Packers reducing slaughter to protect margins can tighten fed cattle supply and support prices, though weather-related delays add uncertainty. Feed demand may also soften if feeders hold cattle on feed longer than planned.

## Read by commodity

- LCATTLE: bullish ▲

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LCATTLE | 2022-07-15 | [Pete's Comments: Feeder cattle on a roll \| Western Livestock Journal](https://feedsoft.ai/events/40621-pete-s-comments-feeder-cattle-on-a-roll-western-livestock-journal.md) | -0.7% | +0.7% |
| LCATTLE | 2019-07-15 | [Cattle and beef markets looking for summer direction: Peel](https://feedsoft.ai/events/58218-cattle-and-beef-markets-looking-for-summer-direction-peel.md) | +0.5% | +1.0% |
| LCATTLE | 2024-01-01 | [As drought tightened cattle production, 2023 markets soared  - High Plains Journal](https://feedsoft.ai/events/32247-as-drought-tightened-cattle-production-2023-markets-soared-high-plains-journal.md) | -0.4% | +2.3% |
| LCATTLE | 2019-04-19 | [National feeder and stocker cattle report \| Capital Press](https://feedsoft.ai/events/5964-national-feeder-and-stocker-cattle-report-capital-press.md) | -0.7% | -9.1% |
| LCATTLE | 2018-08-22 | [US cattle herd expansion slowdown \| Meat & Livestock Australia](https://feedsoft.ai/events/63471-us-cattle-herd-expansion-slowdown-meat-and-livestock-australia.md) | -1.1% | +2.1% |

## Sources

- wlj.net: https://www.wlj.net/winter-and-mud-mess-with-cattle-markets/

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.